


A Single Ray of Light in a Sea of Darkness

by Airi (MultisFabulis)



Series: Corona's Shadow [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Fantasy, Friendship, Gen, Implied Relationships, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Originally Posted on Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-06-28 17:00:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15711492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MultisFabulis/pseuds/Airi
Summary: Despite warnings of a horrible beast lurking in the forest, Eric goes inside to find the girl he saw entering, out of morbid curiosity. However, he discovers that the girl, who goes by Venlithea, has the power to control darkness and lives in the forest all by herself. He begins to befriend her, something she supposedly isn't accustomed to.Later on, it's revealed that she is the horrible beast he was warned about, known as a Vlixeox. Seeing how she's treated by everyone in Brinegarde, coupled with his belief of wanting to see the best in people, Eric decides to help Ven with her situation. The road to help, however, has obstacles that may not be easy to overcome...





	1. Fateful Meeting

     Eric was certain he was lost when he couldn’t find the path he diverged from. He was curious about that girl he saw entering the forest. Everyone he talked to in Brinegarde said the forest was too dangerous for anyone to go in yet that girl just strolled in without any hesitation. What made him even curiouser was that no one tried to stop her, with some people actively ignoring her if they looked in her direction. Out of the goodness of his heart, he followed after to warn her but ended up in his current situation.

     With night quickly approaching, he had no idea if he’d find his way back in time. He knew Alek would raise hell against the lord of Brinegarde if anything bad happened to him while he was here. Alek was pretty scary when his partner’s safety was at risk, which strengthened Eric’s resolve to get out of the forest of death. As soon as he could find his original path, that is…

     Despite that, however, there was yet another reason he wanted to get out before night fell. Whilst gathering information about Brinegarde’s lord, the townspeople had given him warnings to stay clear of the Vlixeox. He had never heard of such a thing but he believed asking about it to be troublesome, due to everyone’s belief that mentioning it was a sort of taboo. Going on from the little info he had, he assumed the Vlixeox to be a horrific beast that happened to be living in the forest.

     Knowing it to be against his better judgment, he hoped the girl would be okay on her own. As for now, he had to look out for himself. First thing to do would be to find the path he took and follow it back to Brinegarde.

* * *

     After about a half hour of trying and failing to find the path, Eric reluctantly resigned himself to his fate. Night had fully arrived and, at around the fifteen-ish minute mark, rain began to pour down. Wondering if today could get any worse, the thunder booming above him confirmed what he thought.

     As an irritated sigh escaped from his mouth, he thought about what to do next. Finding shelter was a good option but who knows how long it’d be when or if he found any. There was also the matter of finding food and water as well. A ball of regret began to settle in his stomach for wanting to help the girl, going so far as to curse his desire to help others in need.

     “I am going to die out here,” he said aloud, trying his best to not let his anxiety overwhelm him.

     Suddenly, as quick as the raindrops fell on him, they stopped. Looking up, he saw solid black matter hovering just above his head, preventing any rain from touching him. Taken aback by this, he dropped to the muddy ground in fear, believing it to be the Vlixeox’s shadow. Unsure of whether or not it noticed him, he chose to scurry away from it instead of letting out a terrified scream.

     Despite his hurried pace, however, it kept following him. His back eventually hit a tree, trapping him between it and the monster. Anticipating an attack, he put his arms up in the hopes of blocking it and potentially protecting himself from some of the damage. With the passage of time came nothing. Slowly opening his eyes, he let his arms down to see his pursuer.

     At the end of the trail of darkness was a girl. The same girl he saw entering the forest from earlier, in fact. The origin of the darkness was unknown but he knew it had to be from her somehow.

     Because of how dark it was, it was hard to discern anything from her, aside from her height and the cloak she wore. She appeared to be considerably shorter than him, almost to that of a child. The cloak was colored a faded gray and full of sloppily stitched holes and tears. Save for two locks of white hair that rested just above her chest, her face was completely concealed by her hood.

     The girl stood still as Eric got up from the sodden ground, using the tree as support. He noticed that the black matter above his head floated above hers as well, protecting them both from the rain. Whatever her intentions were, he didn’t know.

     Taking a step forward, he asked her, “Hey, uh, are you okay?”

     She didn’t answer, continuing to stay where she stood. He continued in a calm voice so as to not make her perceive him as a threat, “Okay, I’m going to try getting closer, all right?”

     As he slowly and carefully approached her, she didn’t move a single inch. The darkness continued to follow him as he lessened the distance between them, making sure not a drop of rain landed on him. She had to be controlling it, though there was no indication of where and how she was doing it from his vantage point.

     Now that they were only a couple feet away, he saw much more of her than previously. She kept the ratty cloak closed, which covered most of her body. The only visible part of her face was her mouth, which revealed her skin to be very pale. He first thought of her as a child but now realized she was around the same age as him.

     “So, do you live in this forest?” he asked. Considering she had no qualms of being in the same forest as the Vlixeox, she had to have been living here. When she didn’t respond, he took her silence as a yes.

     Flashing a nervous smile at her, he asked, “Would you mind taking me to where you stay, then?”

     The girl began walking ahead, prompting him to follow. The storm got worse as they wandered through the forest. Thankfully, the makeshift umbrella didn’t falter, which intrigued him as to how it worked.

     They soon arrived at a small alcove situated between two large trees. She pushed aside the crude excuse of a door and beckoned him to come in. Many sticks were inside of one tree hollow while a large amount of berries and nuts were in the other. In the middle sat a homemade firepit, a small gathering of wood meant to serve as kindling with two rocks serving as flint. A roughly made glaive leaned on the edge of one of the tree hollows, which he believed to be her weapon. Seeing all this made it apparent how long she’s lived here. How much time has she spent in this forest, he wondered with a tinge of sadness.

     She picked up one of the rocks and her glaive and knelt beside the firepit. Placing the bladed end of her weapon above the wood, she raised her hand holding the rock and intended to strike it against the blade. Before she could do so, however, he stopped her by grabbing hold of her raised hand.

     “How about I do that? As thanks for letting me stay here tonight,” he suggested. After a moment of pause, she gave him the rock and returned her glaive to its place.

     He took out the dagger he kept at his side and began striking at it with the rock. Although he offered to help, he had actually never built a fire before. Alek was usually the firestarter between them since he could never successfully light a fire during their time on the open road and this was turning out to be no different. Growing frustrated with each failure, he eventually threw the dagger and rock to the ground in exasperation. To their mutual surprise, several sparks landed on the wood and what was once a tiny ember flourished into a reasonably sized fire.

     With a sheepish expression on his face, he said in a joking manner, “Well, whatever works, right?”

     As the fire warmed them up, the girl held two sticks with trout on them above the flames to cook them. When the bottom of them became blackened, she took them away from the fire and handed a stick over to him. Thanking her, he gently grabbed the wooden skewer and started to nibble on the fish. He wasn’t much of a fan for fish but it was better than nothing.

     As she held the cooked trout up to her mouth, she let down her hood and fully revealed her face. She kept her long white hair inside her cloak, her pointed ears poking through the waves, and her face told him she was an elf. However, he was drawn to her violet eyes, something he knew regular elves to not have. He had never seen a half elf with different colored eyes and nothing else, making him rule out that possibility. Then again, he was sheltered from the outside world till recently, so there might’ve been a chance…

     The only remains of dinner were the tails and sticks, which were promptly discarded outside the alcove. They sat in silence, the background noise being the crackling of the fire and the pouring of rain. Under normal circumstances would he be okay with the comforting quiet but he was interested in wanting to know more about his new companion.

     “Would you mind telling me your name, if only so I don’t keep referring to you as that girl,” he asked, chuckling a little. “If it helps, mine’s Eric.”

     The girl appeared to be bewildered by the question. The only indication he had of that was seeing her eyes widen oh so very slightly. If he hadn’t been staring at her, he would’ve easily missed it.

     After a pause, she spoke, her voice low and soft, “Venlithea.”

     “Venlithea… That’s a nice name,” he replied. While he thought it to be an unconventional name for an elf, it suited her.

     After some time had passed, Eric talked to Venlithea about taking him back to Brinegarde in the morning and she agreed to do so. He still needed to do business with Brinegarde’s lord, after all. It probably wouldn’t look good on him for being late to their meeting, thus making a terrible first impression.

     It soon became time to sleep. He took off his cloak and laid on it, turning away from the fire to stare at the bark of the tree hollow. Despite it not being the first time he slept on dirt, a long time had passed since then and so he forgot what it felt like. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, hoping tomorrow’d go better than today.


	2. Black and White

     Eric groggily opened his eyes to Venlithea shaking him. Light peeked out from around the shoddy leaf door onto the last remaining chars of the fire. He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he stretched his body out. While last night wasn’t the worst sleep he had, the ground still felt uncomfortable to him.

     As he woke up, Venlithea gave him some berries and a flask. The berries were a multitude of different colors, ranging from black to red to dark blue, while the flask was simply a dull metallic silver. Popping a blackberry into his mouth, the sweetness burst out when he bit it, causing him to eat the rest of the berries. When he drank from the flask, cool water flowed down his throat, quenching his thirst from the night before.

     Giving the flask back to her, Eric said with a smile, “Thank you, Ven.”

     She took the flask from his hand without saying a word. Holding the leaf door to the side, she turned her head towards outside, beckoning him to go out. He grabbed his dagger and ventured into the damp forest. She followed soon after, glaive in hand and hood up.

     The ground smushed beneath their feet with each step they took. He noticed how light seemed to make a complete difference in how the forest looked. Gloomy and sinister at night while bleak and dreary during the day. Amping up the creepy atmosphere was the fog that hung just below the tree line, making everything in their peripheral vision hard to see. Thankfully, Brinegarde came into view more and more the closer they got to the entrance.

     “Thanks for everything, Ven,” he said appreciatively. If it weren’t for her, he knew he wouldn’t have gotten out of the forest.

     “...It’s Venlithea. My name,” she corrected, closing her cloak.

     Letting out a nervous laugh, he replied, “I’m sorry! It’s kinda a habit of mine to nickname people if I can… Is it okay if I call you Ven, though? If not, I’ll just use Venlithea from now on.”

     In response, she gave a shrug, not really caring what he called her. As she walked towards the town border, she seemed to be trying to hide herself, ducking behind trees and whatnot. He went on ahead of her and entered Brinegarde.

     Aside from some wet stone and small puddles, the storm didn’t appear to have affected the town much. The townspeople were out and about, some of whom he recognized from yesterday. He noticed they were gathered in a crowd ways away from where he stood. They looked about ready to go into a frenzy for some unknown reason he couldn’t fathom.

     “I don’t know what’s going on but maybe we can--” he turned around to face her only to see she disappeared-- “Where’d she go?”

     As he fully came into their view, the crowd noticed him and suddenly swarmed him. He couldn’t be bothered to answer their questions, since so many of them were from different directions. Making an effort to keep his anxiety at a minimum, he asked them the question of why they ignored Ven going into the forest. The answer he got stunned him into silence.

      The Vlixeox people had warned him about was her. Ven, the quiet elf who had helped him the night before, was the Vlixeox he assumed to be a monster. He didn’t want to believe it, couldn’t understand it. She was nothing like what he expected or what everyone thought her to be. Although he didn’t know her all that well, he truly considered her to be a good person.

     “Even so, what’s wrong with her being a Vlixeox? She’s nothing like what you all make her out to be,” he angrily said, desperate to know why they were all against her.

     “I’m afraid you’re wrong. Oh so very wrong,” a voice called out, effectively silencing everyone within the crowd.

     The mob of people cleared a path for the newcomer, allowing Eric to see who it was as they whispered amongst themselves. A tall elf, dressed in varying shades of red, stood in front of him, giving off airs of arrogance. White hair rested atop their fair shoulders as light blue eyes stared down at him. He knew, without a doubt, this was the lord of Brinegarde.

     “I am Lianthorne, ruler of Brinegarde. Charmed to make your acquaintance,” the elf said, holding their hand out towards him.

     Shaking their hand firmly, he replied, “Uh, same. I’m Eric, ruler of Aurora Zenith.”

     “Now, I believe Rowan said you wanted to speak with me?”

     “Yes, I wanted to discuss some important matters with you, regarding the future of our two towns.”

     “Then let us be off, then. We’ll talk more in my chambers.”

     As Lianthorne led Eric to the center of town, he could see people talking to each other, surely about them. If not that, then some buzz about him coming out of the Vlixeox’s forest. Being both the center of attention and the target of gossip didn’t help his anxiety any. He kept his eyes focused on Lianthorne’s back to ignore the voices all around him.

     His mind wandered to Ven and her plight. He thought it sad that she lived all by herself in a mucky forest, believed to be a monster by everyone when it was the complete opposite. She couldn’t have done anything to warrant such scorn yet being a Vlixeox was enough to earn a lifetime of hate.

     He was grateful to her for letting him stay in her “home” last night. She didn’t have to do that. She didn’t have to protect him from the rain with her power. She didn’t have to give him food and water. She didn’t have to lead him back to town, a place she knew despised her very being. There was no reason for her to have done any of that yet she did. What did all of those things say about her?

     Due to being too absorbed in his thoughts, he accidentally bumped into the elf’s back. Moving slightly backwards, he realized they stopped at a building northwest of where he arrived in Brinegarde. Lianthorne didn’t seem to have noticed the sudden crash and walked inside, leaving Eric behind.

     The building was made out of stone and, with the exception of a wooden door, had nothing to help stand out. On the door was an emblem, which he assumed to be the symbol of Brinegarde. In the middle was a raindrop surrounded by curved lines at the bottom with a geranium flower inside the raindrop. Whatever symbolism it had flew over his head as he opened the door and went inside.

     It immediately became apparent how high his companion held themself up to be. Lining the hall was a burgundy rug with gold trim that led to a room at the end and several painting depicting many different things hung on the walls. The house practically radiated elegancy and high class, something he knew all too well from his childhood. Quickly walking through the hall, he went into the room.

     Lianthorne sat at a mahogany desk, surprisingly clear of any documents or adornments. They held a hand out to the chair opposite theirs, beckoning him to sit. As he did, they interlocked their fingers together and rested their chin on them, a smile that almost looked like a smirk on their face.

     “So, how has your time in Brinegarde been so far?” they asked.

     “Aside from being swarmed after coming out of the forest, it’s been great,” he replied somewhat sarcastically. His first impression of them so far was that they acted a bit like a pompous jackass, which he wasn’t a fan of.

     “Well, that’s bound to happen when you encounter the Vlixeox and live.”

     “How about we talk about that after we discuss what I originally came here for?”

     “Sure, whatever you say, Eric. Next time, though, don’t hide how you really feel. Your poker face is terrible.”

     A chill ran down his spine from being found out. Granted, he wasn’t really trying to hide his annoyance at the other’s snide comment about Ven but he wanted to be civil about it. Now, however, he regarded Lianthorne to be a smug asshole and nothing they could say or do would change that.

     Despite feeling that way, Aurora Zenith’s future was more important. Entering an alliance with Brinegarde and other towns listed would surely prove to be beneficial to each party. The trick is to listen to what each leader wants and find a way that appeases both them and you. At least, that’s what he believed in, anyway.

     With how things were going between them, though, he was close to losing faith. Whatever conditions one came up with, the other would disagree, even trying to one-up them at points. This continued to go on and on until they eventually gave up, deciding to suspend negotiations until tomorrow. He felt immensely relieved, although he’d never show it.

     Now that the boring part was over, he could finally find out more about Ven. Why did everyone in Brinegarde hate her for being a Vlixeox? What even was a Vlixeox? Those, along with many others, he hoped would get answered.

     Leaning back in their chair with their arms folded, Lianthorne said, “I know what you want to say so out with it.”

     “What did you mean when you said ‘encounter the Vlixeox and live’?” he asked skeptically, “Ven didn’t try to attack me, if that’s what you’re saying.”

     “Is that its name?” They chuckled themself as they went over to one of the windows. “A suitable name for an inferior creature such as it.”

     With a tinge of anger in his voice, he replied, “Her name is Venlithea but I call her Ven for short. I’d appreciate it if you referred to her as such.”

     “Her, it, does it really matter? That’s your first mistake, caring for something that can kill you at a moment’s notice.”

     Although he was seething, he knew they were right about one thing. He was caring too much about someone that was otherwise a complete stranger to him. A stranger that had many opportunities to kill him but didn’t. If she truly wanted to murder him, she wouldn’t have let him get away. She probably didn’t have an inch of murderous intent in her body.

     He felt sorry for her. Hated and judged for her race, a birthright she couldn’t control or erase, she was forced to live in isolation. Due to him being a simple human, he’d never be able to experience it. He’ll never understand why people constantly criticize others for things out of their control. It wasn’t right or fair and it only made the person on the receiving end loathe themselves. She’d probably never show it but she must carry a lot of pain inside her, he thought.

     Going over to where the elf was, he said in an almost derisive tone, “Tell me, then, Lianthorne. If she really wanted to kill me, why didn’t she? Come on now, don’t be shy.”

     “How should I know? Maybe it sees something special in you,” they replied calmly, though they appeared to be visibly irritated.

     He felt pleased for getting under their skin, not really caring if it seemed a bit childish. If he couldn’t change their mind about Ven, the least he could do was rile them up in defiance. As much as he wanted to continue taunting them, he held himself back, remembering to not get carried away. He still needed to do business with them and provoking them was not the best course of action.

     “I believe you must be going soon. It was… nice speaking with you,” they said curtly, restraining the annoyed tone in their voice.

     With an innocent but sly smile on his face, he replied, “I feel the same way. Don’t forget about tomorrow, all right?” and headed to the door.

     “Trust me, I wouldn’t forget it,” they muttered under their breath.

     Departing from Lianthorne’s home, he struggled on what to do next. There was nothing for him to do and it was only a little after midday. Having been in Brinegarde for a day and a half, he wasn’t sure if the town had any interesting appeals to it, if at all.

     Thinking about it, he realized none of his questions were answered. He wasn’t really surprised by that, since the pompous jackass didn’t seem willing to give him any clear answers. If cooperation wasn’t a strong suit with the lord of Brinegarde, then it’d be a waste of time to try with their citizens. The only way he’ll be able to get an explanation about everything, it seemed, would have to be from Ven. He considered the possibility once before but he didn’t want to force her to open up if she didn’t want to.

     As he started walking back the way he came, he wondered if he should bring her something. An idea began to form in his head and he wandered over to a specific place in town to get what he needed.


	3. A Desire to Help

     Eric went into the forest, holding a basketful of sweet treats he planned to share with Ven. A plethora of baked goods were inside, ranging from strawberry tarts to cinnamon rolls to blueberry bread. Just thinking about eating all of it made his mouth water. While everything was from what he liked, he figured she’d appreciate it. After all, who wouldn’t like sweets?

     If he just followed the direction of the tree roots, he’d surely find her home. He knew she lived somewhere northeast, with a body of water nearby to drink from. Not to mention having leaves tacked between two trees was pretty noticeable. After spending possibly an hour more than he wanted, he finally found the telltale leaf door that held her alcove inside.

     However, multiple knocks to both tree hollows made it clear she wasn’t home. He decided to wait for her outside the alcove, not wanting to invade her privacy. Luckily, he didn’t wait for long.

     She appeared from his left with a pouch, presumably full of food, in her hand. Her hood was still up from earlier and she kept her cloak closed around her body. He didn’t see her glaive on her, though it’s possible it was inside the alcove.

     Noticing him standing outside her home, she asked, “Are you lost again?”

     “No, I, uh, actually came to see you,” he replied, holding up the basket of desserts, “I got us something we could share, if you wanted?”

     He couldn’t see what expression she had but he had an inkling she was taken aback. She might not have ever had anyone give something to her, much less share with her. Today may as well be full of firsts for her, he thought cheerfully.

     Entering the alcove, they sat down in one of the hollows with the basket in-between them. The leaf door was left open, letting in warm air and spreading the waft of the savory aroma around. Ven dropped her hood and opened her cloak up some to cool off. With spring came humidity and being in a damp place like this, it’s a surprise to not see her sweating.

     Taking away the cloth on top of the basket, he asked, “Which one do you want?”

     Her eyes widened in almost childlike curiosity as she looked at all the different sweets. If the roles were reversed, he’d have the same reaction. She pointed towards the blueberry bread then over to the raspberry danishes before settling on the cherry strudels. He thought it to be a good pick since he loved cherry and this would be his first time eating a strudel.

     Picking up one of the strudels, he held it up and asked her, “Do you want it halved or whole?”

     “...Halved.”

     He tried his best to break the pastry down the middle and gave half of it to her. He waited for her to start eating before dining on the half he kept for himself. She sniffed it a few times then took a small bite. Once she began eating in earnest, he did the same, letting his heart melt from the sweetness.

     They ate until the basket was just about halfway empty. He wondered if she developed a sweet tooth of sorts, with how quickly she ate each treat. He was having a fun time with her and he wanted to believe she was as well.

     With the passage of time came dusk, the fog colored a dull orange. As much as he wanted to bring her to Brinegarde with him, the threat of another crowd overrunning them was too great to risk. His anxiety would go through the roof and he didn’t want to subject her to that kind of torture. He didn’t want to imagine what the townspeople would do to her if she came to town randomly. Considering their attitude towards her, the results wouldn’t be good.

     “Dammit…” Ven muttered under her breath.

     Wondering what happened, he looked over to see her holding part of her cloak. A freshly torn hole laid in the middle and it wasn’t a small hole by any means. It was clear from the patchwork tailoring wasn’t a strong suit of hers and going to get it fixed professionally wasn’t an option. Without any hesitation, he unstrung his cloak and presented it to her.

     Her face held confusion, not understanding why he was giving her his cloak. He explained, “It’s to help you.This is probably more useful to you than it ever would be to me and I can just get another one back home.”

     She took the cloak, albeit under great hesitancy, as if she expected him to suddenly take it back. Unstringing her own, she wrapped the black cloth around herself. It enveloped her completely, her head being the only thing visible.

     “It’s not too big?” he asked, seeing the bottom of the cloak touching the ground.

     She shook her head, marveling at how large and possibly comfy it was. It was adorable in the way a child would receive a gift for their birthday. She looked at him with tentative eyes, wanting to say something but couldn’t. Despite that, he knew what she was conveying.

     “You’re welcome.”

     Night began to creep on the horizon, making it time for Eric to be getting back to town. However, he didn’t feel comfortable with leaving Ven alone for the night. It wasn’t that he thought she couldn’t take care of herself. He just couldn’t think of what else he could do to help her.

     She reminded him of how he was as a child. Sure, he had Alek for support but he doubted she had someone similar. He wanted to be a person she could trust, a person she could rely on. Moreover, he also wanted to be her friend, even if it took some time to do so. In the same way his partner helped him whenever he needed it, he wanted to help her whenever she needed it.

     “Ven, how would you like it if you came back with me to Aurora Zenith?” he asked suddenly. The idea just came into his head and, while the details haven’t ironed out yet, it was better than nothing.

     When she didn’t answer, he added, “You don’t have to give me an answer right now. You can think on it until the day after tomorrow, which is when I’ll be leaving.”

     Burying her face in her newly acquired cloak, she asked, “Is it really… okay for me to go with you?”

     “Of course it is! I’m sure, once the townspeople hear me talk about you, they’ll be fine with you living there!”

     “I just don’t want to be a bother to you… I don’t want you to…”

     “Ven, I’m the one who asked, okay? If anything, I’m the one who’s being a bother to you. So don’t worry, all right?”

     Despite his reassurances, she still appeared to be troubled, which he honestly couldn’t fault her for. It would be pretty hard to believe if someone you barely knew offered you a chance to get out of a place that outright despised you. She’s probably never had someone give her hope for the future. As much as he wanted her to accept his offer, he knew he had to leave the decision up to her. It was her life and she had the right to choose what she wanted to do with it.

     Leaving her for the night, he checked himself into the Empty Oak Inn and went to his room. It was a standard room, with two beds, an armoire, a nightstand, and a window to let in light. A wave of exhaustion swept over him as soon as he sat down on one of the beds, feeling about ready to pass out. This would be the first time he slept in an actual bed since coming here and he was gladly looking forward to it.

     He took out the pendant he kept on his personage. It was a simple orb that held a shard of fluorite inside, attached to a silver chain. Although it seemed a bit silly and perhaps childish, he’d sometimes try talking to it as if it served as the only lifeline he had to his mother. Even so, it always made him feel better afterwards and assuaged his worries, if only a little.

_Mother, I want to believe I’m doing the right thing by inviting Ven to stay in Aurora Zenith but I feel like it’s not enough. The people here treat her so horribly when she’s done nothing wrong but I can’t just force her to say yes. It’s her life so she has the right to decide what she wants to do with it. And yet, I can’t stop thinking of what’ll happen if she says no. It’s just so frustrating…_

     Letting out a heavy sigh, he flopped down on the bed. He felt like there were so many things he could do to help Ven but he just couldn’t figure out how or what. The idea he did think of gave him uncertainty. While he knew his citizens were accepting of others different from them, would they really be okay with a Vlixeox among them? If he only had a little more time…

     He put the pendant on the nightstand and laid under the covers. The bed was super soft, though sleeping on the ground the night before made him a little biased. Struggling to keep his eyes open, he went to sleep.


	4. The Choice of a Bargaining Chip

     After a restless slumber, Eric splashed water on his face and went to go meet Lianthorne. A part of him kept worrying over Ven while he struggled to sleep due to being in an unfamiliar place. Outside, the day was somewhere in the early afternoon, with people setting up shop or welcoming potential customers. He hoped Lianthorne didn’t mind him being a little late to their meeting. 

     As soon as he arrived at their house, the elf stood in the open doorway, looking smug as ever. He already felt his mood dropping from being tired but pleasant to annoyed and irritable. Even so, he put on the best neutral expression he could muster so as to not tip them off. It’s a new day, maybe this’ll be better, he thought. 

     “I see you’re looking better than yesterday,” they said affably, a condescending smile on their face. 

     Resisting the urge to snap at them, he replied with a simple, “Let’s just go inside, okay?” 

     “No need to be so tense, we have all the time in the world,” they assured, beckoning him inside, “At least, that’s what you were thinking since you came here late, right?” 

     Coming inside, he angrily slammed the door shut before following behind them. As much as he wanted to continue slamming the door, he knew it’d be a bit petty and very immature. Still, it was enough to vent and the door’d be fine by the end of the day. He also wanted to give the pompous jackass a hit or five but he couldn’t show his animosity. If he wanted to achieve what he came here for, he had to play along. 

     The pair repeated their actions from yesterday. However, Lianthorne seemed confident, more so than usual. A pit in his stomach began to form as he wondered why, worried over the answer. 

     “Tell me, how close are you to the Vlixeox?” they asked, resting their chin on their hands. 

     “What do you mean?” he replied apprehensively, “If you mean by what I consider her as, then I’d say friend at best, acquaintance at worst.” 

     “Good, then I know how we can solve our problem.” They leaned back in their chair. “After you left yesterday, I began thinking about our predicament when it dawned on me. What if we brought the Vlixeox to the table?” 

     “Ven’s not just an object you can use---” 

     “Ah, ah--” wagging a finger-- “You didn’t let me finish. I’ll let Brinegarde enter this alliance of yours if you get rid of the Vlixeox.” 

     He felt his heart stop as his mind anxiously tried to process what they meant. It went too far for them yet he knew how much they hated Ven. Were they really asking him to…? They didn’t want to do the deed themself so they decided to ask him? He wanted so badly to believe he was jumping to conclusions again but the evidence laid out in front of him was too great to deny. 

     Slamming his hands down on the table, he stood up and angrily shouted, “There’s no way in hell I’m killing her! I don’t care how much you hate her, Ven doesn’t deserve to die because you want to be a narrow-minded asshole!” 

     They didn’t flinch from his outburst, a few chuckles escaped as an amused smirk lit up their face. It’s like they knew I’d react like that, he thought. He hated how frustrating they were and how they just seemed to revel in his misery. 

     “Now that I’ve had my fun,” they began, switching seats to the table, “let me elaborate.” 

     “You’re still an asshole,” he shot back, loud enough for the other to hear him. 

     “Thank you. As much as I would love for it to be dead, it hasn’t given me a reason yet to kill it. It’d go against my image as a fair and just ruler, you know?” 

     “Yeah, sure, I totally believe that.” 

     “If there’s one thing I like about you, it’s your sarcasm. We’ll join the ranks if you take the Vlixeox back with you to Aurora Zenith. A good deal, no?” 

     Although he wanted to say he had already presented the option to Ven, he kept his mouth shut. It’d be too risky to tell them that, especially since she hadn’t come up with an answer to his question yet. Only less than a day had passed since then, after all. It’d be preposterous to ask her if she made her decision in that short amount of time. Not to mention that Lianthorne would practically relish this opportunity. 

     Noticing his lack of response, they asked, “Why are you hesitating? I thought you’d jump at this so why the hesitancy?” 

     “I’m sorry but I refuse.” He crossed an arm over his chest to hold the other. “It’s not fair to treat Ven as if she were a bargaining chip when it’s her life we’re talking about. Make another deal that doesn’t involve her.” 

     The pit in his stomach grew as he waited for an answer. He knew that what he said wasn’t something the other wanted to hear. However, that wasn’t going to stop him from defending Ven’s right to choose how she should live her life. 

     Lianthorne huffed out a sigh as they brushed their hair back from their face. That was to be expected. Their smirk from before returning and their gaze sharpening, however, was far from what he predicted. They muttered something under their breath before moving in close to him. Although they still sat on the table, a hand captured his chin with the other laying flat behind them and their legs crossed. 

     Anxiety shot through Eric’s body from how close the two of them were. Each shaky breath brought a skip to his heart as his arms gripped each other to form a barrier. He was terrified, not of the other possibly doing something to him but from his boundaries being invaded. This was too close and it distressed him to all hell. He felt trapped, wanting so desperately to run away yet not having the strength to do so. For the first time since they met, he was truly scared of Lianthorne. 

     “I don’t think you understand,” they whispered, bringing his face in closer, “Either you take the Vlixeox or I’ll deal with it myself when you leave. What will it be?” 

     He nervously swallowed, trying to stay calm amidst the circumstances. Fumbling around in his pocket, he hastily grabbed the pendant and held onto it as if his life depended on it. He hoped and prayed this would end soon, that the elf would see how scared out of his mind he was and let him go. 

     “Tch, he’s not worth it,” they said in seeming disgust. They let go of his chin and looked away in annoyance. 

     Deciding to take this opportunity, he ran like hell out of the building. He needed to get back to the Empty Oak Inn, the only safe place he had in this town. He knew people were probably looking at him weird as he burst through the front of the inn but he didn’t care. As soon as he returned to his room, he clumsily locked the door and slid onto the floor. 

     His legs and throat felt like they were on fire as he tried to catch his breath. He might’ve overreacted a bit but an adrenaline rush will do that to you. Fighting back against the lump in his throat, he brought out the pendant and held it close, hoping it’d calm him down. Sure enough, his breath slowly returned to normal as his anxiety levels were brought down a notch. 

     Even though he came here for safety, what he really wanted to do was go into the forest and find Ven. While part of it was because he felt safe with her, it was more of her being his only ally here and him wanting all the support he could get. However, he couldn’t risk her finding out and panicking over what might happen to her. He’d probably feel even worse with her freaking out. 

     In the end, he didn’t leave his room once, despite wanting to. He felt conflicted over whether or not to warn her about tomorrow. What he hoped to be Lianthorne’s bluff would influence her decision and he didn’t want that important choice to be wasted. If he didn’t tell her, she’d be open to a possible ambush or even worse, death. He didn’t want her to get hurt because of him and he’s afraid he may have just presented that opportunity by befriending her. 

     Maybe I’ll get up early and see her, decide from there, he thought. It may not have been the best plan but it was at least feasible. If she chose to go with him, then it was all fine and good. If not, warn her and strongly urge that she go to a safe place. Whatever compromise there was, he couldn’t think of it. 

     Tomorrow was shaping up to be a taxing day. So many things were running through his mind when he remembered Lianthorne’s deal. If their business wasn’t resolved by his departure tomorrow, then he’d have to consider the trip a failure. After what happened today, though, he’d be perfectly fine coming back at another time. For safety’s sake, preferably bring a guard in tow. 

     Just like before, he put the pendant on the nightstand and readied himself for sleep. Exhaustion surged through his body, failing to keep a yawn in. He was out before his head hit the pillow.


	5. Fortunes, Karma, and Departures

     Rushing out of the inn, Eric hurried over to where the crowd was. He hoped the run would wake him up some, since he felt somewhat lethargic from the night before. If it weren’t for the commotion outside, he’d still be asleep.

     His exhaustion from yesterday caused him to oversleep; once he realized how late it was, a surge of panic wound him up into a frenzy. As he hastily ran around the room to prepare for the trip back home, he caught bits and pieces of shouts from his window. Then he heard a yell of someone saying they spotted the Vlixeox at the forest’s entrance, which made him drop everything and run out.

     The place was just teeming with people when he arrived. If what he heard was true, then she had to be past this crowd. Although he didn’t know how she’d fare in a large group of people, it couldn’t be well regardless. She had to know coming out of the forest was a big risk, considering everyone’s attitudes towards her. After stubbornly pushing past some people, his suspicions were confirmed.

     Ven stood at the border, with her eyes squeezed shut and her mouth a grimace. She appeared to be hugging her glaive as she kept the cloak wrapped around her body close in a tight grip. With so many voices coming at her from all directions, it was a miracle how she hadn’t broken down yet. The way her body shook differed from her usual stoicism so much, it may as well have been a completely different person.

     Deciding enough was enough, he got in front of her and said, “She’s with me.”

     Thankfully, they seemed to have gotten the message and went on their way. As he let out an annoyed sigh, he wondered why they always grouped up and swarmed someone as if they were a bunch of hungry bloodhounds. It’s like they’re desperate for something exciting to happen to liven up their dull lives, he thought.

     Turning around to face her, he could already see a change in demeanor. She had relaxed considerably as she buried her face in her cloak. He softly smiled at her, relieved to see her okay.

     “Have you decided?” he asked. He knew she wouldn’t have come out of her comfort zone if she hadn’t.

     She didn’t reply, almost hesitating to give him an answer. In a calm and soothing tone, he said, “Just take your time.”

     “I want… to go with you,” she answered, a hand on her chest.

     “Are you sure? You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to.”

     “I’m sure. If you really want me to go with you, then… I’ll go.”

     Although he didn’t show it, he felt relieved. He was so worried over what he had to do if she decided not to come with him but he didn’t need to be anymore. Happiness came as well, because it meant she’d have a second chance at life now. The abuse would stop after today and she could finally be happy.

     Remembering the time, he tells her, “I just need to get something from my room at the inn, meet with Lianthorne, and then we can board the boat to Aurora Zenith, all right?” and begins to walk away.

     “Ah---” she called out as he felt a tug at his wrist.

     Turning her face away, he saw her hand holding onto his sleeve. Although it took him a minute or so to understand what she was doing, he eventually took hold of her hand. It was to give her support and for her not to get lost following him.

     “This is so--” he pulled the hood up to conceal her face-- “we can avoid another disaster like earlier.”

     While holding her hand, he led her through the town. He took it slow so as to not rush her, though she was proving to be quite capable of keeping up with him. Despite the large amount of people staring at them, he kept looking forward, not paying them any heed.

     As they arrived at the inn, he realized something. If he brought her inside, it’d cause a scene and he sure as hell didn’t want to give her another panic attack. However, the outcome might end up being the same if he left her out here. The risk of a fiasco was too great for him.

     Trying to dispel his worry, she said, “I’ll be fine.”

     “Are you sure?” he asked, “I just don’t want to leave you alone in case something happens.”

     Nodding her head, he quickly decided and said, “I’ll be right back, if anyone starts to bother you, yell for me and I’ll come running out.”

     “Okay.”

     Soon as she said it, he ran into the inn and to his room. The only thing he needed to get was the pendant, since he forgot to bring it with him in his rush to get outside. Slipping it into his pocket, he ran back out to where she stood, patiently waiting. He grabbed her hand again and they walked towards Lianthorne’s chambers.

     That turned out to be a bust, however, as Rowan answered the door when they arrived. Talking with her revealed Lianthorne to be at the dock. Probably waiting to ambush me if I decided to skip town, he thought. After saying goodbye to her, the pair went to the pier.

     As they carefully crossed through the docks, he kept his eyes out for Lianthorne. He wasn’t sure how they took his stunt yesterday so he felt anxious. At least he was hopeful he’d find the boat he came here on, despite how many ships there were. Speaking of which, he recognized the familiar emblem of Aurora Zenith on the ship’s hull with relative ease.

     Unfortunately, Lianthorne was there, confirming his suspicions. They noticed the two of them coming down and smiled, making him worry. Seeing how they weren’t angry or even miffed about yesterday only exacerbated it.

     “I knew you’d come here. You even brought the Vlixeox with you,” they said, taking note of her presence behind him.

     Shielding her with an arm, he retorted, “If you want an answer, it’s yes. She’s coming with me so you don’t need to worry about her anymore.”

     “I knew that bluff of mine would work. You care too much about it to let it get hurt.”

     Although he knew it to be a bluff, he felt stupid for almost falling for it. They even said they needed a reason to hurt her because it would “ruin their image” otherwise. Another thing to add to the growing list of jumping to conclusions…

     “You must be pretty happy I’m leaving, right?” he asked, “That way, you don’t have to deal with me calling you out on your bullshit.”

     “Well, partially. I’m just glad I can rest easy without worrying about the Vlixeox wreaking havoc in Brinegarde.”

     “As if she would ever do that.”

     “You never know. After all, those things are unpredictable.”

     Resisting the urge to slam his head into a nearby wall, he gave up on trying to change their mind. As much as he hated to admit it, there were some people that wouldn’t change no matter what he or anyone else did. Or, if they did change, it was usually for the worse, which he knew all too well. Like his father…

     Forcing those memories away, he said in a last attempt to be cordial, “While I don’t agree with most of what you’ve said, let’s stop the petty bickering and **try** to be on semi-good terms with each other, all right?” and held out his hand, albeit in a reluctant fashion.

     They seemed genuinely shocked at his offer, as if they couldn’t believe it. Regardless, they regained their composure quickly and, grasping his hand, replied, “If it makes you feel better, I dislike you a little less now.”

     Afterwards, the pair boarded the boat. He thought he heard Lianthorne say something but they were too far away from earshot. Ven let down her hood at some point as the wind began to flutter through her hair. As they waited for the ship to take off, he stopped to think.

     She only had two days left until she’d start her new life in Aurora Zenith. He hoped she had an easy time adjusting once they arrived. With this being an upheaval of everything she’s known for years, she probably felt super anxious. The least he could do to give her some peace of mind was by making her transition as seamless and simple as he could make it.

     Now thinking about it, he wondered how the townspeople would react to him bringing a Vlixeox home. While he knew Alek would be fine with it---since the two of them were residents in a foreign land---everyone else was a mystery. He still had no idea what a Vlixeox was but it had to be related to Ven’s power. The way the people of Brinegarde looked at her with fear in their eyes made him scared for her. He remembered when they first met, he freaked out at seeing her power, which made him worry out of the cycle repeating itself. He could only hope and pray to god everyone would look past that and get to know her for who she was.

     Suddenly, he heard a loud splashing sound near the boat. When he peered down from the deck, he saw something surprising. Flipping their hair back, an upset Lianthorne waded around in the ocean. Seeing them in that kind of silly situation, he couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

     “That beast, it pushed me into the water!” they stammered as they swam over to the pier.

     “How she’d do that? Ven’s been up here with me the entire time!” he yelled back, choking back a few laughs.

     After a dockworker helped them up, they snapped out, “I may not know how but I know for sure that---thing---pushed me into the water!”

     “Maybe karma’s getting back at you for being an asshole to her!”

     They didn’t respond, leaving him to continue laughing. He didn’t care if he was rubbing their accident in their face. With all the stress they caused him and their attitude towards Ven, he considered this to be karma biting them in the ass.

     Eventually, the ship took off, with the sun high in the sky. Brinegarde shrunk little by little the farther they sailed away from it till it disappeared from the horizon. Ven looked out at the ocean with curious eyes, something she’s probably never seen up this close before.

     It was somewhat adorable to see her almost childlike wonder at these new sights and sounds. He didn’t know what her childhood was like but he wouldn’t be surprised if it was… bad, to say the very least. He let her have this moment; after all, you only get to be a kid once in your life.

     Time gave way to dusk as the pair sat down on the edge of the deck. The smell of salt wafted in the air as the cool wind chilled them from the hot afternoon sun. This kind of weather was nice, except for the humidity. Even then, it was only a minor annoyance to an otherwise perfect evening.

     He broke the silence with a question, “How are you feeling?”

     “Nervous, scared. There’s… a lot I’m feeling.” She gripped her cloak tightly as she let out a heavy breath. “Is it… normal to feel like this? To feel like I don’t know whether or not I made the right choice?”

     “While I can say yes to your first question, the second one…” He paused, thinking on how to best convey what he’s trying to say. “All I can say is, these kinds of decisions take time. I feel it’s only natural for you to wonder if it was right or not. I’m not the best person to ask this from so…”

     “Have you ever done something like this before?” she asked.

     “...Only once in my life. Let’s just say something happened and me and my partner had to get away from it before something worse occurred. We kept running and running til we came to Aurora Zenith and… I haven’t looked back on it since.”

     Memories from that time flooded his mind. Seeing grief warp his father into someone he no longer recognized. Alek and him leaving the gates under the guise of dawn at breakneck speed. Spending all that time in the wilderness until they arrived at the place they’d eventually call home. He found it hard to believe how all of that happened in two years. How time flies, he thought.

     “I _think_ it’s right but…” she said, pulling her knees up to her chest, “It’s hard to tell.”

     “Well, in my opinion, you made the right choice. However, it’s up to you whether you feel the same way or not.”

     Minutes passed as silence fell between them. She stopped gripping her cloak but it didn’t necessarily mean she felt better about her decision. He knew how difficult it was to not worry when someone tries to assuage your fears. Still, he had to try relieving her anxiety because it wasn’t right to be scared of everything. You’d never take risks or see everything life had to offer, otherwise.

     “Will it… really be different in Aurora Zenith?” she asked suddenly. “Will it really be okay for me to live there?”

     “If anyone has a problem with you, they can talk to me,” he replied sternly. “Unlike Lianthorne, I won’t stand for the kind of crap you went through in Brinegarde. I can’t promise that it’ll be any different but I’ll make damn sure to try.”

     “Lianthorne… I don’t know much about them other than their arrogance and everyone worshipping the ground they walk on.”

     “That’s pretty much it. At least they got what they deserved today. Humiliation may do them some good, learn some humility. It was pretty funny, though, to watch them flop around in the water like a fish gasping for air.”

     “They were right, I pushed them into the water.”

     “Ven, they were just blaming you for their own clumsiness. You did nothing wrong.”

     “No, I did it, like this…”

     The solid black darkness from before appeared again. She focused her eyes on it and, with him watching, looked up. The globule followed their movement, a small column rising from the ground. She moved her eyes to the right, the column jerking in that direction to simulate the push. Then she blinked, causing the column to collapse before vanishing into nothing.

     Rubbing her eyes, she said, “I pushed them from behind so they wouldn’t notice it.”

     “Ven, why would you push them into the water?” he asked, unsure of how he felt towards this revelation.

     “Because they called you a sympathizing fake!” she exclaimed, her brows furrowed in anger as she suddenly stood up. “They don’t understand that you’re risking everything to help me and it’s not fair! They have no right to call you that or anything else!”

     Her outburst stunned him. Her being this emotional was rare for him to see and her being angry on his behalf was even rarer. Despite him knowing that he had to scold her, he felt flattered by what she did.

     Standing up as well, he said, “Ven, while I appreciate you standing up for me, you shouldn’t push people or really lash out at them if they talk bad about me. It’s not exactly okay to do that.”

     “B-but…” she tried to protest, her head hanging in shame.

     He put his hands on her shoulders, taking care to do it gently when he noticed her flinching. “Ven, don’t let whatever people say about me bother you. It may be hard but just try to ignore it.”

     Her shoulders drooped as she reluctantly nodded her head. He felt like a jerk for scolding her, especially since she thought she was only doing the right thing. While it was out of his defense, he couldn’t risk Lianthorne breaking off their deal because of her actions. Still, seeing her sad figure did little to ease him.

     Taking his hands off her shoulders, he said in a joking tone, “If it makes you feel any better, since they called me that, I can call them a pompous jackass all I want now.”

     He thought he saw just the slightest hint of a smile on her face. It was the first time he ever saw her smile and he hoped it wouldn’t be the last. For now, though, he felt glad his attempt at a joke made her a little happier.

     They both decided to turn in once night fell completely. She chose a cabin next to his in case she needed something from him, which he thought was best. He saw her off to her room then went into his for the night.

     He reached a good stopping point in the book he was rereading and closed it, putting it on the nightstand next to him. Laying in his bed, he brought out the pendant and held it up. The last talk he had with his mother was him worrying if Ven would decide to come with him or not. Now he had good news to share with her.

      _Mother, I hope you saw what happened today. Ven decided to come with me back to Aurora Zenith! I wasn’t sure if she wanted to, because I honestly don’t think I sold her on anything the town might’ve given her but she did! You know, I used to be afraid of helping people because I wasn’t sure on how or if it’d help but… I think this changed my mind a bit. I’m still afraid of disappointing them if my help isn’t good enough but I’m gonna try more from now on. I don’t know if that was really important to tell you but I think it was. I hope you’re still watching over me._

     Placing the pendant on the nightstand, he let the sound of the waves and gentle rocking lull him to sleep.


	6. Mementos

     It was a bright sunny day without a cloud in sight. Eric stepped out of his cabin and onto the deck, the smell of salt and striking blue of the sea present. Times like this were what made him appreciate how great the outside world was. Luckily, he still had today left to enjoy so there wasn’t a need to rush.

     Ven came out not long after, looking refreshed. After being swarmed yesterday, it must’ve tired her out to the point of exhaustion. She seems to have slept well last night, he thought with relief. She gave him a nod of acknowledgement and hung out near the railing. Besides occasionally brushing locks of hair away from her face, she only stared at the ocean.

     Taking a place next to her, he asked, “How are you feeling today?”

     “Is it weird to say… excited?” she replied almost hesitantly. “I’m still nervous but also excited as well.”

     With a soft smile, he said, “It’s all right to be excited. After all, it’s not every day you get to live in a new place.”

     “Could you tell me more about Aurora Zenith?” Her eyes held wonderment in them, which he found hard to resist.

     So he told her all he knew about Aurora Zenith. From where it was situated to its people, he informed her of everything he believed to be important. He hoped this’d ease her worries and even help her get used to the idea of living there. It may take a while but she’d eventually adapt to the place.

     After he explained everything, he noticed a ring on her left hand. It didn’t appear to be big, though it obviously wasn’t a perfect fit. An amethyst stone was set in a simple silver band, both of which were common to see. While the ring itself was nothing special, he wondered where she could’ve gotten it from. He doubted anyone in Brinegarde gave her it as a gift.

     “Where’d you get your ring from?” he asked.

     Despite his question taking her off-guard, she slipped the ring off her finger and replied, “It used to belong to my mother. At least, that’s what the people of Thal Esari---my old village---used to tell me. It’s the only thing I have of her.”

     “Your mother isn’t…?”

     “She died giving birth to me. They’d always tell me it was ‘the price she paid for having a monster’ like me.”

     He felt a surge of anger fill his body after hearing that. It pissed him off to think about the things she had drilled into her head when she was a child. There’d be no understanding why being a Vlixeox entailed such abuse and vitriol but he knew it wasn’t fair. No one deserved to be treated like that, regardless of their race. Still, he had to rein himself in so as to not upset her. Besides, it’s not like crying out in outrage would really change anything that happened in the past…

     “If you don’t mind me asking, how did the people of your old village treat you?” he asked with morbid curiosity. He honestly thought it to be a useless question that he really didn’t want to know the answer to. A part of him, however, wouldn’t have been satisfied otherwise if he didn’t ask.

     She remained silent as she slid the ring back onto her finger. As if on cue, an unseen cloud blotted out the sun, veiling them in temporary darkness. It was very slight but he could see her body trembling, making him regret asking her that question. No amount of prying, innocent or not, should come at her expense.

     In a moment’s time, she answered, “I’m sorry but I don’t want to talk about it.”

     “You don’t have to apologize, I shouldn’t have asked.”

     “I don’t like remembering what happened back then. It’s not because I don’t trust you, it’s just…”

     “You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. I can’t even begin to imagine what you went through and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Just know that I’ll try my hardest to protect you so that you won’t suffer anymore.”

     Staying silent, she turned back to face the sea. The cloud from earlier moved on, letting the sun quickly sweep over the ship. He felt as if he ruined her good mood by forcing her to relive her traumatic past. Although he didn’t know how, he needed to distract her with something. It didn’t matter what, it just had to be enough to get her mind off painful memories.

     That was when the idea hit him. Not only was he provided with the means to accomplish that task, it also gave him the opportunity to share something he loved with her. It may not be luxurious but it was bound to be fun, nonetheless.

     In an attempt to grab her attention, he called out to her, “Ven, I think I’ve got something both of us can enjoy.”

     With her eyes piqued in interest, they went back to his cabin. His occasional glances at her made him feel excited for the things to come. She followed behind him as they entered the room, apparent confusion on her face. He picked up the hardcover book resting on his nightstand and held it out to her.

     It was an average sized book, a couple hundred pages long. The back and front were in a shade of black and nothing else, except for the title and author inscribed in gold. While the cover conveyed nothing on what to expect, he believed the story more than made up for that.

     As she took the book from him, he asked, “Have you ever read a book before?”

     “Never.” She ran her fingers down the cover, feeling the inscribed text under her fingertips. “I’m not really a good reader, you could say.”

     “I could teach you,” he said, a soft smile on his face.

     They then spent the afternoon together. It was clear from how she said the opening paragraphs that she had trouble reading the more complicated words. Still, it was also clear to see how much effort she was putting in to sound out the words. He made sure to gently correct her on the mispronunciations so she wouldn’t get discouraged and hopefully begin her love for reading.

     By the time they were done, the orange light of the sunset shined through the window. As he went to go put the book on the shelf, his pendant fell out of his pocket and clattered to the floor. The sunlight cast iridescent colors across the wood as it hit the fluorite inside the clear casing. She stared at the multitude of colors in childlike amazement, her eyes practically sparkling. Maybe I should tell her about it since she told me about hers, he thought.

     Picking up the pendant, he said, “This used to belong to my mother before she died. She gave it to me on her deathbed as a means of protection.”

     When he held it out to her, she grasped it in-between her fingers and looked it over. “It’s pretty… Has it protected you, then?”

     “While I kept it around, I never really used it for that purpose since Alek was already the best one for the job.”

     “Alek?” She tilted her head curiously.

     “He’s my partner. We’ve been together for almost a decade, though we’ve been friends since childhood.”

     “What is he like?”

     “Imagine a quieter, calmer, basically better in all aspects version of me and you’d get Alek.”

     “If he’s anything like you, then he must be a good person. He’s lucky to be with you.”

     Slipping the pendant back in his pocket, he only murmured in contemplation. He found it hard to believe her, though it might be his self-loathing talking. Still, he knew she had no reason to lie to him so it’s possible she genuinely meant what she said. Alek and her are a little alike so maybe they’ll get along, he thought hopefully. It might take a while but he even believed they’d become friends.

     Speaking of Alek, he was glad to see him after a week’s time of being away. While he hadn’t really thought about him much during his trip, they haven’t been apart for this long in a while. Granted, a week is definitely better than half a year but time had a tendency to blend in at points. He hoped he wouldn’t be too surprised with him returning with a girl he just met a few days ago tomorrow. Stranger things have happened since arriving in this place, after all.

     Night soon fell and she went back to her cabin. She seemed as if she had fun during their time together, which he hoped got rid of the awkwardness their earlier conversation brought on. Now it was only a matter of hours till they arrived in Aurora Zenith and she’d begin living there. A matter of hours till the beginning of the fresh start her life had.

     The silvery moonlight glittered on the ocean, coloring the black into gray. If only the starscape was reflected upon the water as, he thought. He sometimes took seeing the night sky for granted, since it had its share of beauty like the daytime sky. It was another thing he looked forward to once he came home.

     Hopefully, Ven will appreciate it as well once she sees it unobscured. He had a feeling she would, anyway.


	7. Home

     The Aurora Zenith docks came into Eric’s view. Having been awake since dawn, the excitement of coming home had given him a restless sleep. While he didn’t want his first day back spent in fatigue, he knew it couldn’t be helped. It just meant he’d be a bit slower at picking up on things today. As the sun crept up the brightening blue sky, Ven came along next to him.

     Leaning over the railing, she asked, “Are those the docks for Aurora Zenith?”

     “Yep. Tell me how excited you are, on a scale of 1 to 10,” he replied, turning to face her with an affable smile on his face.

     “Hmm…” She closed her eyes in contemplation for a moment before opening them, little sparkles clear to be seen. “Maybe 6 or 7.”

     Even if it wasn’t conveyed in her voice, it was adorable to see her so eager. Sounds of quiet wonderment escaped her mouth as she bounced on her toes. He couldn’t blame her for being so lively, since this day marked the beginning of her new life. He knew how naive it seemed to believe in that but he thought it better to see the good in things instead of the bad. It was just the kind of person he was.

     As the ship sailed closer, she said in almost surprise, “There’s someone on the dock.”

     He leaned over the railing and squinted his eyes at the waterfront. A man stood near the end of the pier, seemingly expectant to greet them. The wind ruffled his long dark hair and clothes yet he barely made an attempt to fix his appearance. Happiness swelled up in his heart once he recognized who it was.

     “That’s Alek, isn’t it? Your partner?” she asked. “Your eyes looked like they lit up once you realized who it was.”

     Tearing his eyes away from the dock, he said in an embarrassed tone, “One thing you should know about me is that I’m practically an open book.”

     If she could even see it, he must’ve been glaringly obvious. Still, he couldn’t help lighting up whenever he saw Alek. He made him happy and he didn’t feel ashamed or embarrassed in showing that.

     As the ship began to slow to a crawl, the excitement he felt gave him a burst of energy that made him restless. He sat down and cupped his hands over his mouth in order to calm himself down. He figured it’d be better than pacing back and forth in an attempt to burn it off. Ven knelt beside him, her brows furrowed in concern. Although she said nothing, he knew that what he was doing was probably giving her the wrong message.

     “It’s just the excitement getting to me a little,” he said comfortingly. He didn’t fault her for misconstruing his actions, since it was easy to do so with him.

     She let out a hum of relief and looked up at the sky. While he didn’t consider this to be exactly alarming, he still appreciated her concern on his behalf. It felt weird, though, having someone worry over him that wasn’t Alek. Even so, it meant she cared about him and maybe regarded him as a friend.

     The ship soon stopped completely, indicating it had docked. Once he saw the gangway being lowered, he realized it was time. With one final exhale, he used the wall behind him to help stand up and made his way towards the bridge. Ven decided to remain where she was for now, which he assumed was out of anxiety over meeting Alek. Maybe she’ll come down once I’m finished with him, he thought.

     His beloved had a small, gentle smile as he disembarked. It felt as if the intense amount of energy he had before vanished as soon as their eyes met. There were so many things he wanted to give voice to yet none of them seemed good enough. By the time they were face to face, however, he only had two words to say.

     “I’m home.”

     Alek wound his arms around his waist and his around his neck for a hug. He missed this. Even though he was only gone for about a week, he missed having him around. This place, along with Alek, was home. They pulled away a moment later and brought their mouths in for a kiss.

     It didn’t last long, the two of them breaking apart after only a few seconds. He hadn’t needed more than that, since he had a plan for today. There’d be plenty of time for kisses later. For now, he wanted to get the townspeople together so they’d be introduced to their new neighbor.

     Touching their foreheads together, Alek whispered, “Welcome home.”

     “It’s good to be back.” He backed away, though he still stayed in his embrace. “So, how has Aurora Zenith been in my absence?”

     “Good, though I think everyone decided to wait till you came back to swamp you with work because it seemed a little too peaceful around here.”

     “Great, that’ll be fun…”

     “What about you? How was your trip to Brinegarde?”

     “Well, as much as I want to tell you--” He stepped back towards the gangway-- “We’ll have to talk about it later. For now, though, could you and Emory please gather everyone to the square? Let’s just say that I, uh, brought home a surprise.”

     Without a word, Alek strode past him and up the cobblestone stairs leading to the town. Worry soon filled his mind upon remembering what he’d have to do next. How was he to introduce Ven without the town going crazy? What would he have to say or do for them to believe in his judgment? He didn’t know, meaning he’d just have to wing it and see where it went from there.

     Speaking of whom, Ven tiptoed down the gangway, taking care to not fall. Her cloak and hood obscured the entirety of her body, mirroring how she looked when they first met. He understood how she felt but he knew she’d have to show herself eventually. Once her feet were on the dock, she approached his right side.

     “You look happy with him,” she said with just the faintest hint of a smile, “He really is lucky to be with you.”

     She expressed that sentiment yesterday and he still found it hard to believe. While he knew she meant well, she hadn’t spent much time with him. It was easy to assume that now but he doubted she’d have the same opinion later on. It could be his self-loathing talking again, if he were to go for consistency’s sake.

     “Well, everyone’s been gathered in the square as you’ve asked.” Alek came back down the stairs and continued til they were only a couple feet away. “Could you tell me what this surprise is you mentioned?”

     Surmising it may as well be time for them to meet, he said happily, “Alek, I’d like for you to---” and stopped once he realized she was gone.

     It was then he felt a presence behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw her cowering like a scared child. Jeez, she wasn’t this shy back in Brinegarde, he thought with a humorous smile.

     “As I was saying…” He sidestepped out of the way to reveal the hidden Ven. “This is Venlithea, or as I like to call her, Ven.”

     With hands to her chest, she took a few nervous steps forward. A thorny coil wrapped and tightened around his heart upon seeing her fearful footfalls. He knew how scary meeting people was; to joke about her being shy wasn’t fair to her. His anxiety, at least, got better with time and practice. Hers, however, must’ve felt like falling in an endless abyss that got darker the further she descended.

     Before he went to try and help her, Alek took a few steps forward as well. She practically trembled in fear. Then he knelt down to look her directly in the eyes with a gentle smile on his face.

     “You needn’t say anything if you don’t want to,” he said, attempting to comfort her, “It’s up to you whether or not you wish to speak with me.”

     She appeared to have calmed down some from his words. Of course he’d be an expert in soothing others’ anxiety; he’s had personal experience from him for years. It was difficult to recall all the times he’s helped him but he nonetheless appreciated it. Another thing he loved about him…

     A moment later, she spoke, “I want to, but I think Eric wanted to introduce me and my moving here to the people of Aurora Zenith.”

     Her unwitting reminder that a crowd currently waited for his arrival in the square jolted him. He had gotten so swept up in letting Ven and Alek meet, he completely forgot about everyone else. If there was ever a time he wanted so badly to slap himself, it was now.

     At his urging, the three of them hurried up the stairs and past the gate. Although the main roads were devoid of people, he felt better walking in the back alleys. They were inconspicuous and could mask their movement while traversing through. It helped in that they provided an alternate route to their destination unhindered.

     Simple wood buildings gave way to stone, alerting him to where they were. The alley they now stood in opened up to a secluded area he knew to be a short distance from both the square and his residence. He figured it’d give him and Ven a place to hide for a little bit as they prepared for the inevitable. That sounded way more foreboding than I believed it’d be, he thought.

     The small hideaway gave him a view of the packed square. It was full of familiar faces, which held contemplative expectancy over what he had to say. His quieted anxiety swelled up in vengeance, though he made sure to conceal it from Alek and Ven. The last thing he wanted to do was worry them with his unfounded concerns.

     He had next to no confidence he’d get through this decently. While he knew Ven to be a good person, he needed to convince everyone else of that. Words were not his forte and he definitely didn’t consider himself to be charismatic enough to string together a coherent yet trustworthy speech. He squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to drive out the intrusive thoughts when---

     “Eric.” Alek’s voice managed to pull him out of his almost trance-like state. “You okay? You seem a bit… anxious.”

     “Of course! I’m fine as can be!” he replied, putting on a deceitfully cheery smile. With how bad of a liar he was, it looked painfully forced.

     “If that were true, you’d be able to breathe normally.”

     “Damn it…” His smile faltered before he dropped it completely. “I really should stop lying to you when I’m like this, huh?”

     “While I understand why, it’s not healthy to bottle it up.”

     “Sorry…”

     “It’s all right. Now, breathe. Take a nice, deep breath and let it all out.”

     As he breathed in and out, he glanced over to Ven. She was crouching within the shade of a lone tree, seemingly mesmerized by the insects crawling around. He felt relieved to know she was unaware of the transpiring events.

     Feeling his anxiety gradually settle down, he said appreciatively, “Thank you, I think I’ve got it now.”

     “Okay. Well, I’ve gotta go out there and make sure there isn’t any suspicious activity going on. We’ll talk later?”

     “Yeah, I’ll tell you everything that happened, I promise.”

     With a nod, Alek left and went back to the square. An uneasy sigh came out as he approached Ven. He knew he couldn’t avoid this for much longer, though he so happily wanted to stall for time. It wouldn’t be fair to both the townspeople and her if he kept them waiting. No matter what his worries were, he’d be damned if he screwed up the beginning of her new life today.

     “Ven.” Her head perked up at the sound of her name being called and she stood up to face him.

     “It’s time, isn’t it?” she asked.

     “Yep. Also, sorry for what I’m about to do.” He gently pulled her hood down, exposing her face. “You can put it back on as soon as we’re done. This is just so people can see you and decide if they want to get to know you.”

     “Will I need to say anything?”

     “Not unless you want to. I’ll take care of everything so don’t worry.”

     Although she nodded, her eyes were troubled. He could only imagine the amount of turmoil she was feeling right now. For someone like her, who’s probably endured years of vitriolic abuse hurled at her from all angles, this had to be nerve-wracking. Hell, maybe even torturous. At least she’ll have allies in me and Alek if things happen to go awry, he thought.

     Then came time for him to go out there. She almost appeared to be scared as he left her alone in the hideaway. It’ll only be for a little bit, he kept telling himself while he walked towards the platform.

     Making his way across, he caught the many eyes of the crowd. It had been a week’s time since he last saw them and he almost never wanted to leave again. If the other towns he needed to go to were like Brinegarde, he’d rather stay than have to repeat that horrible ordeal.

     He started out with a short recap of his trip, omitting minor details and such. While he talked about Ven, he made sure to exclude her Vlixeox status. He only had a vague understanding of Vlixeoxs and Aurora Zenith’s views towards them were unclear to him. It was for the best he introduced her and let the people decide if they considered her a threat or not.

     After he announced the alliance with Brinegarde, that was when he waved her over. A collective gasp and murmurs traveled around as she nervously walked up. She opened her cloak up some and said only one thing.

     “My name is Venlithea Virthana, though I’ve been called Ven as of late. I mean you all no harm and I hope you’ll have me here.”

     Some faces shifted to those of concern while others irritation. It wasn’t devolving into a riot, which he considered to be better than what he expected. Still, even as he explained her move here, the mood didn’t change. He sadly realized it’d take more than words to convince them of her innocence.

     The crowd dispersed as soon as his address ended. It was only a little after noon and he already wished this day to be over. He wondered if he just lost everyone’s faith in him by bringing Ven home. Even if he did, he knew he had done the right thing. Guilt would’ve ate away at him if he left her behind to suffer more persecution. He’d gladly be regarded as crazy if it meant she had him to believe in her.

     For now, though, he needed to figure out living arrangements for her. She had to temporarily reside somewhere before she found a permanent home here. However, would the inn take in a Vlixeox? He guessed, if matters came down to it, she’d stay with him until she’d find a place. At least he’d be able to guarantee her safety in case anyone tried anything.

     “That could’ve gone better,” said Alek.

     “Hey, it went better than I expected so…” He looked over to Ven as she sat on the edge of the platform. Thankfully, they were out of earshot from her.

     “What are we going to do with her? I doubt anyone’ll take her in.”

     “She could stay with me. We slept together once so I think it’ll be fine.”

     “Do you have the room? The only bedroom I know of is yours.”

     “She could sleep in my bed. Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve slept on the floor.”

     “I feel like she’d object to that.”

     In the short time he’s known her, he figured that possibility might happen. She’d probably feel as if she was taking advantage of his kindness by making him sleep on the floor while her in his bed. Now thinking about it, it’d be quite difficult convincing her otherwise. How was he to accomplish that?

     As if on cue, a familiar redhead strolled up the platform to meet them. He recognized her as Iris, Aurora Zenith’s sole florist. They were acquaintances at best but he believed they could be friends if he tried hard enough. An effervescent smile lit her face up, which suited her outgoing personality.

     “Hello there, Eric! I see you might be having a little problem,” she said, taking note of the somewhat melancholic air hanging around.

     Chiding himself for letting it show, he replied, “It’s nothing you need to burden yourself with.”

     “It wouldn’t have anything to do with that Vlixeox, would it?”

     “Well, I---”

     “Say no more. What do you want me to do?”

     “Iris, you don’t have to do this.”

     Seeing how she wasn’t budging, he told her about his predicament. She listened intently and seemed interested in helping him out. It was at that moment Ven noticed them talking, her head tilted in curiosity.

     Once they were done discussing, he called her over. The plan was to let her live with Iris for however long she needed and basically ease her in to living here. Although he worried about their safety, all Iris said was to “not let his pretty little head trouble himself with such concerns”. He could only discern that as her being able to defend herself if need be.

     Explaining the situation to her, Ven cordially said to Iris, “Thank you for taking me into your home. I’ll try not to bother you as much as I can.”

     “You are just the cutest thing!” She put her hands on her cheeks and squished them. “It is absolutely no trouble at all.”

     Soon as they finished introductions, Iris slung an arm around Ven’s shoulders and led her away. She waved goodbye to him, despite looking uncomfortable at the sudden affection. Such a thing may not have happened to her much in her life. Now he began to wonder if part of the reason Iris wanted to help was because she already developed a fondness for her.

     Orange and red eventually colored the sky as he scanned over the town from his veranda. People were closing up shop while lights shined through the windows. He hoped he’d see Ven among them but no such luck. Although he trusted Iris to look after her, anxiety gnawed at his heart.

     “You worry over her like a father would his daughter,” Alek said, leaning on the railing next to him.

     Without even taking his eyes away, he replied, “We’re around the same age so I doubt that comparison works here.”

     “She’ll be fine, Eric.” He entwined their hands together to try and calm him. “Didn’t you say she had been living by herself for years?”

     “But she’s never been around this many people. What if something happens to her or someone tries to hurt her?”

     “I think she can take care of herself if that happened and Iris is with her as well. Have faith in them.”

     He nestled close to him in an attempt to dispel his worries. It was almost stupidly easy for his mind to be overwhelmed with all the different possibilities. His paranoia tended to strengthen the dread he felt while thinking of the bad scenarios. If it weren’t for Alek, he was sure he’d be a wreck.

     “If it makes you feel any better, I’m proud of you,” Alek said warmly.

     When he didn’t respond, he continued, “You usually try your damndest to avoid people yet you went to Brinegarde, made a friend in Ven, and probably bettered her life. You’ve matured from how you were two years ago.”

     “Well, she needed some help and it wouldn’t have been right to not give her any. Still, I guess I have changed a little bit.”

     As he nuzzled him, he dwelt on his words. While it was hard for him to see the ways in which he changed specifically, he knew he had from two years ago. Maybe his position as lord of Aurora Zenith had something to do with it. Either way, he didn’t mind continuing on the path he set for himself.

     A flicker of white hair passed through his vision. He saw Ven and Iris together, presumably on a walk through town before turning in for the night. Through the glow of one of the windows, he thought the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned. If she was considered as his daughter, he figured it’d be all right to dote on her every once in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To anyone who's read this from beginning to end, thank you for reading this! It's been one hell of a ride but now, we are at the end.
> 
> I know there may be some issues with the ending, mainly it's too rushed or even forced. However, for someone who sucks at writing endings, this is one I'm satisfied with and I hope you can overlook those issues to an extent.
> 
> Again, thank you to everyone who's read this and I hope you look forward to my next work!


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